(CNN) — Consider the postcard image of Southern France and Tony Spot with lavender fields and yachts in Provence-Nice. , Cannes and Saint-Tropez-probably come to mind.
However, if you look at the map of France and trace your finger from Paris to the Mediterranean Sea, you will land in the province of Aude and the coastal city of Occitania. The views of Narbonne and its surroundings offer a very different and more relaxed view of the south of the country.
Here, along the coastal plain, is part of France's largest wine-producing and vineyard area in terms of surface area (Languedoc-Roussillon is a recently created Okshitani). It has become part of the region. 2016), the diverse landscapes range from beaches and shallow lagoons to lake-coveredvineyard limestone plateaus.
The collapsing castle and majestic citadel are at the top of a hill in what was once a Cathar country. This dissident and ascetic religious group, considered heretic at the time, gathered in this part of Europe in the 12th century.
Visitors come to the area today in search of a folklore-filled and surprising atmosphere. There you can eat ultra-local seafood from the harvested lagoon and drink a variety of Languedoc wines. Background of the Pyrenees extending towards Spain. The laid-back seaside villages you visit here feel the world away from the more exaggerated and crowded Côte d'Azur, about 225 miles east.
Narbonne is a town with Roman roots in the Aude province of Occitania, France.
JackF / Aude Stock
A city with a Roman heart-and one of France's best markets
Less than an hour inland from Narbonne on the Aude, the impressive hilltop fortified town of Carcassonne initially brings most tourists to the area. A prominent example of a medieval fortified city, this UNESCO World Heritage Site has pre-Roman roots.
However, history dates back to 118 BC and is often overlooked in the ancient port city of Narbonne, the first Roman colony founded in Gaul. It extends deeply.
Foster + Partners (famous for Norman Foster), the magnificent museum has an industrial-style stacker crane that uses robotic mechanisms to continually change. An exhibition of more than 700 ancient carved stone blocks towering inside the "Lapidary Wall", which is the centerpiece of the exhibition.
The Canal du Midi (a 17th-century canal connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean) runs through the center of Narbonne, carrying thousands of sète cruise passengers each year on a journey between Sète. Toulouse.
However, few people disembark to explore the canal boundaries and Carcassonne. They are missing.
At the end of the canal in Narbonne is the city's famous covered market, Real. Here, vendors selling local seafood, produce and Languedoc's famous goat cheese begin to mitigate the morning hustle and bustle at lunchtime. With the food stalls closed, the restaurant is filled with people who dine at noon while sipping wine.
"The market is where the people of Narbonne like to develop their social life with glass of wine," said a winemaker whose benchmarks are white, red and rosé wines. One of Gerald Bertrand Languedoc's sustainable biodynamic and organic winemaking heritage tells CNN Travel.
Languedoc-Roussillon became part of Occitanie in 2016. The vineyard covers part of the landscape.
creative nature. nl / Adobe Stock
Evolving history of winemaking
The vines of Narbonne have been around for thousands of years Rooted in the Languedoc region, it was the first port for wine to be shipped throughout the Roman Empire. According to Bertland, the region eventually "lost nobility and often prioritized quantity over quality."
Areas such as champagne, burgundy and Bordeaux have been in the limelight.
However, since the 1970s, Bordeaux-based oenologist Serra Goto has cultivated varieties adapted to the specific microclimate and soil of the Langdoc Roussillon vineyards. Great care has been taken to replant. A substitute for nature and respect for the environment. "
This region is" a dynamic area with a wide variety of soils, varieties and wine styles, with colorful textures "and is France's most important organic wine. It is one of. -Producing area.
"Once a source of mass-produced wine for the ancient Greeks, Romans, and later Goal's table, today's Langdock Roussillon is much more. In that respect, it is the spark of wine made by organic craftsmanship, "says Goto. In 1987, 16 vineyards in the region incorporated fully biomechanical agricultural practices.
Château ul'Hospitalet is a coastal winery and boutique hotel. La Crepe Appellation grapes.
Gilles Deschamps
His Château l'Hospi talet Grand Vin Rouge 2017 blind tasting 6,000 wines at the 2019 International Wine Challenge, the best in the world Selected as a red wine.
"The future of the region looks bright, but" Bertland says. "We are completely devoted to cherishing the wonderful nature we have here. There has been a shift to a new generation of winemakers. ”
In a room where only locals are standing, order special dishes such as shopping bags filled with fresh ingredients, chinchin glasses, steak tartare and duck breast. We often report on the latest rugby games and more. An important town event.
Vineyards and lagoons where you can stay, drink and swallow
In addition to the chateau rooms, Villa Soleilla has 11 suites and a new spa in a collection of contemporary style buildings renovated from the original walls of an ancient winery. there is. Rooms with a private patio and terrace offer views of the surrounding vineyards and the dazzling Mediterranean Sea beyond.
In warmer months, the hotel's seasonal beach club and seaside restaurant are a few minutes' drive from the nearby Gruissan, the Sun and Sea Bells of Côte d'Azur. Reminds me of. Atmosphere-No flashy bling.
The beach club and seaside restaurant in nearby Gruissan are part of the Château Los Pitalet summer cuisine.
EO CREATIVE @FlorianVidot
In this area, you can stroll along the uncrowded sandy beaches of Gruissan and vines all year round. And you can enjoy the view overlooking the coastline where more sails swirl. Rather than a superyacht, the emerald pool in the karst massif offers stunning views of Gruissan, much like Cenote in Mexico.
In Sarin de Gruissan near the Gruissan fishing village, the presence of sun-sensitive algae makes the lagoon where sea salt is grown pinkish. .. Flamingo sneaks into the shallowest pool closest to the sea, and fleur de sel is hand-collected and sold in a small boutique on the premises.
At the edge of the lagoon, massages and salt soak treatments are modestRoulotte-Small wooden stagecoach-like carts and salt making that look like a portable sauna Overlooking the basin. A no-frills, set-up with a really necessary wellness atmosphere.
Also, at La Cambuse du Saunier next to the lagoon, an assortment of oysters, helck, shrimp andcouto-rich garlic and parsley sauce sprinkled with a spoon. Garlic-Cooked on a rustic driftwood table in a restaurant with zero pretension, it's certainly some of the freshest seafood in France.
Near Gruissan, La Cambusedu Saunier cooks fresh seafood on a rustic driftwood table next to the water.
Terry Ward
Oyster fans pilgrimage along the northeastern coast of Narbonne. The adjacent department of Ellow and the seaside village of Marseyan.
A special Tarbouriech (or "pink oyster") is cultivated on ropes that go in and out of the waters of Étang de Thau, France's largest lagoon. This process allows producers to adjust oyster salt levels in areas with salt water and little tide.
And the best part. That "no pretension".
You can wear what you wore that morning for a sightseeing day and come straight to any of these spots.
The town of Gruissan is located on the Mediterranean coast, about 9 miles southeast of Narbonne.
Boris Stroujko / Adobe Stock
Discovered Areas-Discovered
"In this area, you only have to open one door and then another," says Gilles Sansa, a private driver company that guides tourists and Hollywood crew. Masu (the scene of the "Last Duel Trial" was recently AbbayedeFontfroid in the 11th century) and anyone who wants to know the backstreets and secrets of the area.
"When Americans come here, they have a purpose, a goal," says Sansa. "They first know that there is good wine and food, but then they really discover something different from the essence of the place."
For many Europeans, the charm of the region is not so secret. During the pandemic, both foreign and French interest in real estate soared, says Natalie van Venendard, regional manager of France. Real Estate Company, Selection Habitat-Hamilton.
She explained that the housing market has a "countryside atmosphere". This has increased the interest of traditionally attractive regions from French and residents of other parts of Europe. Lots of British.
"It is this combination of sea, mountains and countryside and quality of life that attracts people here," says Van Feenendar.
"I'm not going to show off your great fortune here, rather than Cote d'Azur, but I'll elaborate on these other things."
